Comments on: MRAPs Prove Vulnerable to Special IED

By: Michael Brown

Michael Brown — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:23:34 +0000

I also am a DOD Civilian who is/was deployed to IRAQ to work as a Mechanic along side Soldiers on the MRAP Vehicles. I would like to say just one thing to Aaron Ramsey.…
SHUT UP! You DO know what your talking about, but you should NOT be putting it on ANY forum for ANYONE to read. OPSEC…It’s NOT just a funny acrinim… Please DO NOT be so descriptive about our NUMBER 1 LIFE SAVING VEHICLE!

By: av videolar?

av videolar? — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:12:21 +0000

wanderfull galery
dddf

By: av videolar?

av videolar? — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:11:22 +0000

wanderfull

By: russian

russian — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:53:23 +0000

it is a horrible idea to fly black hawk in iraq any insurgent can go to the “goody shop in iran and pick up fifty cal rifle and shoot it down

By: Doc

Doc — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:59:52 +0000

Some of you have a pretty good idea what an IED and an EFP IED can do to a vehicle. One of you, and I’m not pointing fingers, really do not have a clue what you are saying. Maybe because you stayed at a holiday inn and read a few reports or articles it still doesn’t make you an expert to comment about such things (IED and MRAP).
Before you talk about paranoia, understand what CIED is about. There is a device out there that will counter REMOTE triggering devices but not command, pressure, or victim operated devices. There are so many things to trigger an explosive, just keep that in mind.
These insurgents have changed their tactics since more and more IEDs are found and disarmed/destroyed before it can hurt our own. As we adapt to changes, they adapt as well. You will not stop an EFP unless you multiple layers of various protection. So, if you really haven’t seen one of these in real life, just keep your tone down. It is a simple design with deadly results. I almost lost a good friend and commander with one of these. I physically had witnessed its effects. ANGLES can deflect it but not a 100% guarantee.
Doc

By: Foreign.Boy

Foreign.Boy — Mon, 12 May 2008 02:53:22 +0000

Christian
The money spent is more of a political ante/wager for the people in my opinion. Just trying to make it seem like the government can make a difference.
Roadside bombs are a better term than IED’s. However, I just thought you audience was tuned in enough that they’d understand the difference.
Your coverage of EFP in the current war(s?) has informed me very well. While I think this article is a (well deserved) self horn blowing (because you called it). I still think better protection of the MRAP is still better than the some protection of the alternative.
Of course.. it is only a matter of time until the effects of an EFP will be neutralized if at all possible. Until that happens black hawks and V22s will be the best way to keep soldiers alive.

By: Trent Telenko

Trent Telenko — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:10:14 +0000

This is what it means to be in an MRAP versus an armored Humvee:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20080409.aspx
”“Passengers in these vehicles are much less likely to be killed or injured if they encounter a roadside bomb. Thus if all the troops who encountered these bombs were in a MRAP, casualties would be up to 65 percent less. Until about a year ago, about two-thirds of all casualties in Iraq were from roadside bombs. Thus the army and marines expected widespread use of these vehicles to reduce overall casualties by about a third. But in the last year, the use of IEDs (roadside bombs) has fallen by two-thirds. Still, experience so far shows that troops are about five times more likely to be killed or injured if in an armored hummer, rather than an MRAP. The marines, for example, have not had anyone, in an MRAP when hit by an IED, killed or seriously injured. But this has been expensive. The bomb resistant vehicles cost about five times more than armored hummers or trucks.””

By: Trent Telenko

Trent Telenko — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:04:23 +0000

For those wanting to understand just what an “EFP is, see below:
This is a link to a picture of an EFP in flight:
http://www.military.com/soldiertech/0,14632,Soldiertech_EFP„00.html
And this link has a very good technical summary of what an explosively forged projectile is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosively_formed_penetrator
Google can be your friend.

By: Trent Telenko

Trent Telenko — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:53:07 +0000

For those wanting to view evidence of M1A2 Abrams destroyed in Iraq, this link will be of interest.
http://www.leechvideo.com/video/view1587057.html

By: Riceball

Riceball — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:39:39 +0000

“People on this board keep claiming an insurgent EFP can defeat an M1A2’s armor. I seriously doubt that. An IED EFP weapon will probably only penetrate 100-200mm RHAe, if it’s lucky. An M1A2 has 600-950mm RHAe protection against KE threats and 600-1600mm RHAe of protection against CE threats. TUSK upgrades offer even more protection.“
While I agree that an M1 is one of the most heavily armored tanks around and going by your math and IED grade EFP shouldn’t kill an M1 but I have to ask what part of the M1 are you citing? Is that 600 — 950 all around or just in the front? I’m sure that a decent sized EFP set off underneath an M1 might cause a bit of damage, it would certainly take a far smaller EFP to go through the bottom of an M1 than it would from the front or side.